Film Breakdown of Dolphins-Titans Game

We won. It was a 7+ hour marathon (thanks, mother nature!) but we won and that’s all that matters.

Having said that, let’s break down some game film, shall we?

An important note: There are many ways of breaking down film. As a former coach I/we would record down and distance, personnel, play call, blocking schemes, etc. of all plays in order to try and predict tendencies. Since we’re not coaching the Phins, that’s not what I’ll be doing here.

Rather, each week I’ll be analyzing key plays from the previous weekend. Some of these plays are “highlight” types you’ve already seen but with my analysis included, others will be things you probably didn’t even notice while watching the game live. Keep in mind this is not meant to show each week’s best plays, although some will be in there. It’s really meant to show examples of good and bad performances as a way of understanding our beloved team in a deeper way than can be seen/heard on live t.v. Hope that makes sense. Let’s get to it!

Game summary:

Overall we played well! I re-watched every play from each angle and feel very good in terms of how we did as a team. A few specifics I pulled from the film, some of which are included in the actual game footage below:

Godchaux and Taylor were our two best DTs in the game and rarely gave up any ground… rather, they often drove their lineman back a few feet which was part of the reason we had some success vs the run

Kenny Stills had a great game receiving, but I am really impressed with his blocking. He seems to take pride in it and that’s something not often seen in WR’s. Once he gets his hands inside on a DB, he does a great job of containing them

Despite a lack of sacks, or stats in general, Wake and Quinn played very well (but not enough!). It’s obvious the Titans came into the game with a plan to get rid of the ball quickly (which was smart), limiting the pressure on the QB. Having said that, both men were still disruptive in both the running and passing games. Need to see them more on the field together!

Frank Gore has VISION! The old guy sees and anticipates the holes very well. I still prefer Drake, but Gore performed better than anticipated

TJ McDOnald has got to tackle better. He gets himself into decent position, but seems to go for the big hit rather than sure tackle

Xavien Howard was a beast Sunday. He blanketed his WR extremely well!

Gesicki, who we’re all excited about, has got to start blocking better to see the field more. He’s a real liability out there if asked to support the running game.

Our OL is communicating very well and making few mental errors in terms of blocking scheme (penalties need to be eliminated, however). I believe this to be a result of them practicing together for months as a group. Penetration issues, for the most part, were a result of losing individual battles, not missed assignments

Our LBs lacked a little in coverage, especially in zone. We knew this would be a weakness.

Despite his 2 INT’s, Tannehill was sharp, accurate, and had good feet

Make sure your audio is on, except for this first one:

(this is the only one with no audio) Fitzpatrick has a great football IQ – Despite it being his first NFL game, watch how quickly Minkah recognizes the fake, then watch his quickness when making the play.

Wake bill-rushes Kelly to the ground – Mariota has to flee quickly due to Wake’s dominance! Stunt on the other side ruins it

Fitzpatrick with the stop on 4th and goal – Watch him sniff out the pick play and make the sure tackle. This kid is going to be special!

The TD pass that almost wasn’t – Sitton gets abused by the DT and Tannehill’s legs ALMOST pay the price!

Robert Quinn’s get-off speed is amazing – Do teams really thing a TE trying to “chip” Quinn is enough? We can only hope all teams are this dumb!

Jones whiffs on the Lewis head fake – Even great pro bowl players whiff on tackles. You probably didn’t catch why on live t.v.

Tricky option that COULD’VE been big – If Wilson pitches the ball where I show you, Drake picks up 15 yards or more!

Tannehill waits too long on a 4th and 1 – Ryan gets a little too cute. Get rid of it sooner and we have a 1st down.

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